Professional Certification in Digital Forensics Essentials (DFE)

This certification course is an advanced, industry-aligned programme designed to meet the growing global demand for skilled professionals in digital forensics and cyber investigation. With the rapid increase in cybercrimes such as identity theft, ransomware attacks, insider threats, and online fraud, organizations across industries—banking, healthcare, government, telecom, IT services, and law enforcement—require experts who can investigate incidents, analyze digital evidence, and ensure legal compliance.

This programme equips learners with knowledge in digital forensics, including computer forensics, network forensics, malware analysis, dark web investigations, and legal frameworks. Participants will gain expertise in evidence identification, preservation, acquisition, analysis, and reporting, while understanding anti-forensics techniques and countermeasures. The course is delivered through case studies, examples, and discussions, without practical labs or hands-on exercises, preparing participants to become certified forensic experts.

Whether you are a cybersecurity enthusiast, a professional seeking to specialize in investigations, or someone transitioning into digital forensics, this course offers a fast-track to mastering the forensic lifecycle and contributing to the protection of digital environments.

Programme Structure

Module 1: Fundamentals of Digital Forensics

• Definition, scope, and importance of digital forensics

• Types of digital crimes and evidence

• Roles and responsibilities of forensic investigators

• Forensic readiness and legal admissibility of evidence

Module 2: Investigation Process and Methodologies

• Phases of forensic investigation: pre-investigation, investigation, post-investigation

• Evidence identification, collection, preservation, and chain of custody

• Case management and documentation

• Differences between corporate, law enforcement, and cybercrime investigations

Module 3: Storage Media and File Systems

• Overview of storage devices (HDD, SSD, USB, mobile storage)

• Logical vs. physical structure of disks

• File systems: FAT, NTFS, ext, HFS+ and their forensic relevance

• File deletion, recovery concepts, and metadata

Module 4: Data Acquisition and Duplication

• Approaches to live and static data acquisition

• Types of acquisition: logical vs. physical imaging

• Integrity checks and hashing (MD5, SHA)

• Challenges and limitations in acquisition

Module 5: Anti-Forensics and Countermeasures

• Understanding anti-forensic techniques: encryption, data hiding, steganography

• Obfuscation and evidence destruction methods

• Counter-forensic strategies

• Ethical implications of anti-forensics

Module 6: Operating System Forensics

• Windows forensics: registry, logs, system artifacts

• Linux/Mac forensics: logs, kernel structures, user artifacts

• Volatile vs. non-volatile data concepts

• Memory analysis

Module 7: Network and Web Forensics

• Fundamentals of network forensics

• Evidence sources: logs, traffic captures, intrusion alerts

• Web server forensics: analyzing logs (IIS, Apache, Nginx)

• Email forensics: tracing sources, header analysis

Module 8: Dark Web Forensics

• Understanding the Dark Web, Tor, and anonymous networks

• Types of crimes on the Dark Web

• Forensic challenges in hidden services

• Tracking digital footprints

Module 9: Malware Forensics

• Types of malwares: viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware

• Static and dynamic analysis approaches

• Indicators of compromise (IOCs) and forensic artifacts

• Case study of malware investigations

Module 10: Legal, Ethical, and Reporting Issues

• Laws and regulations governing digital evidence (global and national)

• Data privacy and jurisdictional issues

• Report writing: format, clarity, and admissibility

• Role of expert testimony in legal proceedings

Module 11: Industry based Case Study

Eligibility

Graduates in any discipline are eligible for our Post Graduate Diploma, Executive Diploma and Professional Certification Programmes.

Programme Duration

The minimum duration to complete the Professional Certification programme is 6 months and maximum is 12 months.

Programme Mode

Registration is currently open for Part-time (Online Live Classes) mode.

Programme Deliverables

• Comprehensive study material for all modules in hard copies.

• Online live sessions covering all key areas, including case studies, examples, and discussions.

• Weekend classes with additional doubt clearing sessions.

• Faculty ensures modules are easily understandable without requiring practical exercises.

• Assessment and evaluation designed to enhance knowledge and understanding.

• Feedback collection at the end of each module to improve learning outcomes.

• All learning and training delivery conducted in English.

Examination and Certification

IGMPI follows a credit system based on all learning activities involved in studying the certificate programs. Each of your module is equal to 4 credits. To successfully complete the programme, you will have to earn all the credits assigned to the program.

All the participants are obliged to timely submit completed assessment assignments (during the programme, usually after every module) and appear for an online proctored exam at the end of the programme. After successful completion, the participants will be awarded Professional Certification in Digital Forensics Essentials (DFE) by Centre for Sustainable Cybersecurity Technology, IGMPI. For all the above-mentioned modules elaborate programme material, self-assessment assignments and project work details would be provided by the Institute from time to time. Details get updated on the webpage as well.

Placement Assistance & Corporate Relations

The Institute has partnered with many organizations for providing with placement assistance to its participants. Besides, it has a robust placement cell comprised of senior level Human Resources professionals and Talent Acquisition experts which maintains close links with business and industry. This cell is continuously engaged in promoting the employability of our participants and encouraging the concerned Human Resource department and Hiring Managers to recruit/hire our participants for their vacant positions. The efforts of our placement cell also include helping with professional resume writing and interview skills.

In recent months, the Institute has witnessed more and more participation from professionals working with global think tanks. The IGMPI ‘s Corporate Resource Division actively recommends our students and training participants for various job requirements and specialized roles to Human Resource, Talent Acquisition as well as the heads of various departments in the industrial sector on a regular basis.

Future Career Prospects

Digital Forensics and Investigation is a high-demand field with career opportunities in IT, finance, healthcare, telecom, government, and defense sectors.

Graduates of the Professional Certification in DFE can pursue roles such as:

• Digital Forensics Investigator

• Incident Response Specialist

• Cybercrime Analyst

• SOC Forensics Analyst

• e-Discovery Specialist

• Cybersecurity Consultant

Top companies like Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG, IBM, Microsoft, and specialized cybersecurity firms actively hire certified forensic professionals. In India, opportunities exist with CERT-IN, NCIIPC, law enforcement agencies, and private investigation firms.

View Prospectus

Apply Online

Last date for submitting completed Application Form: 11:59 PM 24^th Sep 2025.

For further enquiries, call or write to us on:
18001031071 (Toll Free -9:00 am to 5:30 pm IST-except on Central Government holidays)/ info@igmpi.ac.in